Marcel Raab
on behalf of the KINMATRIX team
“At this point, we can say very little about the workings of kinship networks because we do not really possess data on the scope of interactions and the way that they are used”
— Frank F. Furstenberg (JMF 2020 - The Decade in Review)
What is the importance of nuclear, extended, and complex kin, considering both the relative strength of ties (“quality”) and the absolute strength in numbers (“quantity”) provided by different kinship types?
How does the importance of nuclear, extended, and complex kin vary between maternal and paternal lines?
How do these patterns differ across countries?
Retrospective view
The family as a locus of attachment, nurturance, socialization, and transmission
importance
Present-day view
The family as a source of social integration
geographic proximity & contact frequency
Prospective view
The family as a latent matrix/safety net
support potential
Matrilineal tilt in kin importance close to universal across kin types & countries
Stronger in relations to female kin
A hierarchy of the importance of family members